Lock for mail-boxes



R. B. LILLARD.

LOCK FOR MAILBOXES.l APPLICATION HLED 1AN.?,1920.

Patented Deo. 21, 31920.

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LOCK .FOR MAIL BOXES APPLICATION FILED IAIIJ, 1920.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

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RUFUS BIBB LILLARID, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

LOK FOB MAIL-BOXES.

Application led January 7,

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS B. LILLARD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks for Mail- Boxes, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention is an improvement in locks tor mail boxes, and has for its object to provide a lock especially adapted for use with a series ot' mail boxes, for instance the boxes of apartment houses, for permitting the carrier to simultaneously release the doors of all of the boxes, or to lock said boxes, without the necessity tor a key tor each box, and without interfering with the locks pertaining to the individual mail boxes.

In the drawingsf- Figure 1 is a front view of a series of boxes provided with the improved locking means,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section,

Fig. 3 is a partial top plan view with parts in section,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion ot the common locking means.

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a modiiied form of keeper carrier.

Fig. 6 is a front View of a portion of the box showing a modified arrangement,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the locking bar.

In the present embodiment ot the invention, the series of mail boxes consists of a Icasing 1 having a series of mail compartments 2, each of which is closed by a door 3, each door being hinged to the casing as indicated at 4 and having a lock 5 of suitable construction, as for instance, a Yale, or any other character of lock.

The compartments 2 of the casing are separated from each other by vertical partitions 6 and horizontal partitions .7, and on one face ot' each of the vertical partitions 6 there is arranged a bar 8, to which the doors 3 are hinged, and which supports the engaging means for the bolts of the locks ot the doors at the opposite side ot the partition.

These bars 8 are in the present instance on the right faces ot the plate 6 and the doors of the compartments in which the bars are arranged are hinged to the bars. The door is closed against the faces ot the partition 6, and the bolts of the locks coperate with locking bars 9 which are mounted to slide in Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.Y

1920. serial No. 349,596.

rabbets 10 in the corners of the bars 8, and in those corners adjacent to the locks.

Each of these bars 9 is slidably connected with the adjacent bar 8, by means of dovetailed tongues 11 on the doors 9, which engage with similarly shaped grooves n the bars 8. At each compartment each bar 9 is provided with a notch or recess 12 Jfor receiving the bolt ot the lock ot' the door of that compartment. Thus each bar 9 is provided with a recess 12 for allot the locks in he vertical row which is at the left of the A plate or escutcheony is arranged partly over each recess 12 on the front tace of the bar 9, and in such manner that when the bar is in predetermined position the bolts of the locks 5 engage behind the escutcheons while when the bars 9 are in a certain other predetermined position, the bolts will be free from the escutcheons. That is, each escutcheon is spaced from the upper end of the recess to leave an opening between the upper end ot the escutcheon and the upper end of the recess, su'lhcient to permit the disengagement ot the bolt from the escutcheon, when the bar is in its lowermost position.

All ot the bars 9 are connected at their lower ends by a cross bar 14, which has hand holds 15 for convenience in manipulating the same,and a lock 16 Vis provided on this bar for engaging a keeper 17 on the lower end of the casing 1, and the lock and the keeper are arranged at approximately the center of the bar 14.

The top of the casing 1 and the bottom of the casing are mortised or groovedto receive the bars 9, to permit the vertical sliding 'movement of the bars, and preferably the arrangement is such that when the bars 9 are in closed position, the upper ends of the said bars will be flush with the upper face of the top.

Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the bottom of the casing is grooved Vlongitudinally as indicated at 18 on its lower tace, to receive the upper edge ot the bar 14. This prevents the insertion of a tool between the bar 14 and the bottom of the casing, by means of which the bar 14 might be pried loose, thus to open all locks.

In operation, the carrier is provided with a. key for the lock 16, and the said lock may be of any usual or desired construction, as tor instance, a `Yale or Corbin lock. Vhen he desires to insert mail in the boxes, he unposition that the bolts 19 of the locks 5 are,

between the upper ends of the escutcheon 13 and the upper ends of the notches 12. That is, in suchv position that the bolts are free from the escutcheon plates, and the doors may be swung freely open. Now the cary rier distributes the mail, and after it is distributed, he closes all of the doors, and moves the bar 14 upward, thus simultaneously locking all of the doors.

In practice, the lock 16 should be of such character that the key cannot be moved until the lock is locked. The locks 5 may now be unlocked by the owner of the box, and when he presses the key to withdraw the bolt 19, the door may swing freely open, without interference from the escutcheon plate. He must, however,`use his key to unlock the box, since only the carrier can unlock the locking bars 9.

The carriers lock for all of the boxes moves at right angles to the bolt of the owners lock, and one does not interfere with the other. Preferably a light spring is provided in connection with each door, for frictionally holding the door closed, after it has been closed. This spring will in practice be on top of the door, and will engage the floor of the next compartment above. This spring is indicated at 20.

ln Fig. 5 there is shown 'a perspective view of a modified form of keeper carrying means. The said means comprises a bar 21, having a series of keepers 22, in the form of recesses in the side faces of the bar for engagement by the bolts of the locks. At the upper end of each recess there is a. laterally extending passage, leading toward the front of the bar, for permitting the passage of the bolt, when said passage is in register with the bolt. All of these bars are connected with a common operating bar 23.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the doors 25 carry the engaging means 26 for the bolts ofthe locks 27, which are mounted on the locking bars 28. These locking bars are connected with the controlling bar 29 in the same manner as the bars 9 are connected with the bar 14. lVith this arrangement, it is the locks of av series of doors which are moved downward, the locks being carried by the locking bar. The construction is otherwise the same as that of Fig. 1.

In combination with the similarly hinged doors of a plurality of storage compartments arranged in vertical rows and horizontal tiers, a lock carried by each door and including a bolt, means carried by each door for retracting the individual bolts, a frame mounted for vertical sliding movement with respect to the doors of the compartments, said frame being formed to lie along the spaces between the successive rows and the successive tiers, said frame being provided adjacent each bolt with a bolt receiving recess undercut whereby to permit movement of the frame, a plurality of keeper plates carried by said frame and adapted to extend over said slots in engagement with said locking bolts.

RUFUS BIBB LILLARD. 

